DADE CITY, FL. Back in December 2025, a state food safety inspector walked into the Marathon convenience store on a routine visit and found raw chicken stored directly above boxes of precooked potato wedges inside the walk-in cooler.
That finding was one of three priority violations documented during the December 29 inspection by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The store, classified as a Convenience Store Significant Food Service establishment, finished the inspection having met sanitation requirements, but not before inspectors flagged 10 total violations, including problems with hot-held food temperatures, improper handwashing, and missing food safety credentials.
What Inspectors Found
The raw chicken violation was among the most direct food safety risks documented. According to the inspector's notes, a box of raw chicken was stored directly above boxes of precooked potato wedges in the walk-in cooler. The owner moved the potato wedges to a safe location during the inspection.
The hot-holding unit in the food service area told a similar story. The inspector measured internal temperatures across several items: chicken strips at 122 to 125 degrees F, a fish fillet at 127 to 130 degrees F, and chicken bites at 121 to 125 degrees F. State food safety standards require hot-held foods to stay at or above 135 degrees F. The inspector determined the products had been out of temperature for less than an hour, and they were reheated to 165 degrees F and verified before the inspection closed.
The person in charge also failed to wash hands properly for at least 20 seconds, according to the inspector's notes. That violation was corrected on site as well, with the person in charge washing hands appropriately before the inspector left.
Beyond the three priority violations, inspectors found the establishment could not produce documentation of a current Certified Food Protection Manager. A large container of flour and a breaded mix stored underneath a table in the food service area were not labeled. The person in charge was not wearing a beard restraint or effective hair restraint while working with exposed food. A three-compartment sink in the kitchen area was not fully sealed to the wall. No hand-washing sign was posted in the unisex restroom, though the inspector provided one. A wet mop in the back hallway was left sitting rather than hung to dry. No sanitizer test kit was available in the warewash area, though the inspector noted no sanitizer concentration violations were observed.
None of the 10 violations were marked as repeats from a prior inspection.
What These Violations Mean
The raw chicken storage finding is one of the most consequential types of violations a food inspector can document in a retail food environment. Raw poultry carries bacteria including Salmonella and Campylobacter. When stored above ready-to-eat or precooked food, drips or leaks from the raw product can contaminate food that will not be cooked again before a customer eats it. The fact that the potato wedges in this case were already cooked made the risk direct and immediate.
The hot-holding temperatures documented at the Marathon food service counter were well below the 135-degree threshold the state requires. Chicken strips measured as low as 121 degrees F. In that temperature range, bacterial growth accelerates. The inspector's determination that the food had been out of temperature for under an hour allowed for reheating rather than disposal, but customers who purchased those items before the inspector arrived had no way of knowing the temperatures had dropped.
The handwashing violation adds a separate layer of concern. The person in charge is the individual responsible for setting food safety standards for everyone else working in the establishment. An improper handwash by that person, documented by an inspector, points to a gap in the basic practices that prevent contamination from spreading from hands to food.
The absence of a Certified Food Protection Manager certificate is a structural issue, not a one-time lapse. State rules require at least one certified manager at a food service establishment. That certification exists specifically to ensure someone on site understands the science behind the other violations on this list.
The Longer Record
The December 2025 inspection does not stand alone. State records show this Marathon location has been inspected at least seven times since July 2022, and the pattern over that period is one of recurring elevated violation counts followed by temporary improvement.
The most significant prior inspection on record came in July 2022, when inspectors found 30 violations and required a re-inspection. A follow-up in August 2022 still produced 12 violations. By September 2023, the count had climbed back to 16, with the inspection result noting a check-back was needed. September 2024 brought another 12-violation inspection that required re-inspection, though a focused inspection two weeks later found zero violations.
The December 2025 inspection, with 10 violations and three at the priority level, fits a pattern of the store cycling between marginal compliance and more serious findings. A focused follow-up inspection on January 5, 2026 found zero violations, suggesting the December problems were addressed quickly. But the store has now accumulated inspection records showing violation counts of 30, 12, 16, 12, and 10 across five substantive inspections since 2022.
None of the December violations were marked as repeats, which is notable given the history. But the recurring presence of priority-level findings across multiple inspection cycles at this location is a fact the record makes plain.
The three priority violations from December 29 were all corrected on site. The store had no certified food protection manager documentation at the time of inspection, and state records do not indicate that credential was produced before the inspector left.